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Solar Power

Solar Power

Solar power is light or heat radiation collected from the sun's rays that is converted into electrical power. It is a renewable, clean, sustainable and alternative energy source. Solar power is also very versatile — it can be used to power private homes as easily as it can power satellites.

Solar power is harnessed through solar panels. which are made up of an array of photovoltaic cells constructed from semiconductor material. The two discrete layers inside these cells contain an imbalance of electrons and allow for the free movement of electrons. When sunlight strikes these cells, it knocks these electrons loose from their atoms. This allows them to flow as electricity into metal contacts. Solar power can also be harnessed by allowing sun rays to heat a wide range of materials that then transform it into energy.

Solar energy has been touted as a highly pragmatic energy source due to its environmental friendliness, renewable nature, and cost-cutting practices. Solar power neither polllutes nor uses natural resources. With storage batteries for nighttime and cloud cover, it is limitless in its availability. Over time, solar panels have decreased in price, and customers have reported dramatic decreases in electrical bills once they go solar. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Sure, there are a few kinks to be worked out, but the designers behind the clever and unfussy Window Socket are onto something: A solar converter-charger that serves as an outlet on windows, not walls.

Squeeze on in for a tour of the COMET ('Cost-effective Off-Grid Mobile Eco Trailer'), a carpenter ant-ravaged 1960s Avalon camper transformed into a solar-powered mobile abode by tiny house devotee, Mariah Coz.